Man v Machine 2.0: Can Mike Tindall mount a famous comeback on the final weekend?

17 Mar | BY Betway | MIN READ TIME |

The Grand Slam winner needs Welsh tries, a Scottish surprise and nerveless performance from England if he to claim a title of his own...

Rugby is a numbers game, yet it is also a game that is played in the head – particularly when it comes to the last weekend of the Six Nations with a Grand Slam at stake.

Throughout the tournament, we have pitched the human instinct of World Cup winner Mike Tindall against the mathematical calculations of the Betway Machine.

Both have been given two free bets of £5 to place on each match in a bid to discover who can offer the most insight into which way the games will go – with the winner being determined by who manages to accumulate the most profit by the end of the competition.

With just one round of fixtures to go, the Machine still by leads by £24.33 after Tindall shaved down the deficit with two correct predictions in Round 4.

With the former England centre admitting that he must “stick his neck out” in order to mount a late comeback, let’s find out how they see the tournament finale unfolding…

Match 1: Wales v Italy (Saturday, 14:30)

Machine predictions:

8/1 – Wales to win by 21-25 points | 13/8 – Italy to score exactly 1 try

Mike says:

“Unfortunately I see it being a very tough afternoon for Italy.

“I thought they were going to have a bit more about them this year – especially given they could have won that first game against France if they had a kicker.

“But after going to Ireland and getting destroyed I think the same thing could be on the cards at the Millennium Stadium.

“Italy need to try and regain some pride given they are facing renewed questions about their place in the tournament, but Wales will want to make a statement.

“I think we might see a different style of play from them giving the ball a bit more air which brought them success towards the end against England.

“Wales will be disappointed after last weekend and Warren Gatland will want them to respond even though the game doesn’t really mean anything.

“They have nothing to lose and that might just end up benefitting them.”

Evens – Wales to score over 6 tries | 7/4 – Toby Faletau to score at any time

Match 2: Ireland v Scotland (Saturday, 17:00)

Machine predictions:

7/1 – Ireland to win by 16-20 points | 5/2 – Ireland to score exactly 3 tries

Mike says:

“Scotland have had a good Six Nations with a narrow loss to England, being very competitive against Wales, putting 36 points on Italy and a well-deserved win against France.

“They have probably lived up to where they were in the World Cup in terms of their performances but just happened to play the two best sides at the start and got a bit of flak off the back of it.

“Realistically it might not happen but I think it will be close so am going to stick my neck out.

“They are a different team coming into this and will to go to Ireland with real confidence that they can turn them over and achieve their best finish in the tournament for ten years.”

3/1 – Scotland to win by 1-12 points | 2/1 – Scotland to score exactly 2 tries

Match 3: France v England (Saturday, 20:00)

Machine predictions:

6/1 – France to win by 1-5 points | 3/1 – Total tries exactly 3

Mike says:

“England should win this quite comfortably but there is always that lingering fear that France will play out of their skin and pull out their best performance of the year.

“But with where England are and the amount of control that they have I just don’t think that they will give France the chance to do that.

“England are not going to chase the game and judging by France’s previous performances if they try to open up then they will make a lot of errors and play into England’s hands so I can’t see how they will get a football.

“I think that last 10 minutes against Wales was a good thing for England in terms of refocussing minds so I predict a straightforward victory with a few tries to boot.”

6/5 – England -12.5 points | 5/6 – Total points over 41.5

Six Nations betting

*Odds and amounts correct at time of publication but subject to change. See site for latest.

Mike appears in the latest episode of the Betway Insider Podcast, discussing England’s Grand Slam success and how Eddie Jones’ side can improve post-Six Nations.